Don't Starve: PAX East 2013

From the creators of Shank and Mark of the Ninja, Klei Entertainment takes a new route and take a more open-world sandbox approach to their next title: Don’t Starve. As the title implies, the entire premise of the game is to survive as long as you can while not starving. Don't Starve has as simple an interface as it does a premise. It’s up to the player to figure out how to progress and increase their chances of survival. While the basic items do show what components are needed to create them, it’s not always clear how to obtain those components. Some of the most basic items that are first crafted are the Axe and Pickaxe. From there wood can be gathered to build fire, rocks can be smashed to create a firepit and logs can be added to extend the life of the flames.

Full Article: http://fronttowardsgamer.com/2013/03/31/dont-starve-pax-east-2013/

Cosplay Photo Gallery: PAX East 2013

Whatever their reason, many people attend conventions not as themselves, but as characters from their favorite entertainment. Some dress to show their love for a particular character, some dress for the attention and still others find cosplay as an artistic outlet of expression. Those who attended PAX East 2013 in Boston, MA recently were no exception. As you’d expect from a gaming convention, many of those who decided to dress up choose to do so as characters from their favorite gaming titles.

Cosplay Contests = Great Pictures

There are as many different levels of cosplaying as there are characters. From the simple act of tossing on a hat to spending months on a single costume there are some who standout even among those who standout. Even if you’d never do it yourself it can be impressive to see some walk in and not only look the part of their favorite character, but embody them as well. Some cosplayers have been given a bad name, but you can tell who is out for attention and who really worked to deserve that attention. It’s for those who put their hearts into their costumes, costing hours, days or months to show their dedication that we want to share their work with you.

Please go to the below link to see the full 70+ pictures for the gallery, as Blogger doesn't do galleries very well. Thanks!

Full Article and Cosplay Photo Gallery: http://fronttowardsgamer.com/2013/03/29/cosplay-photo-gallery-pax-east-2013/

D&D and NeverWinter Party - PAX East 2013

The floor show is not the only place that PAX East action takes place. Some of the best places to meet people, play games and socialize are the parties that take place after the Expo Hall closes. Some are large loud affairs akin to the raves or clubs, while others - which I prefer - are more intimate affairs that allow actual conversations while still having a great fun vibe to them.

One of these more subdued parties was the D&D and Neverwinter Party. Taking place in a a private room of a popular local Boston restaurant the party had everything: MMO game demos, D&D creators and even the famous writer R.A. Salvatore.

MMORPG - Neverwinter Saga Demo

While the lines at the Neverwinter Sage Demo on the PAX East show floor stretched around the booth for much of the weekend, here we had easy access to two laptops. Each one had a different character model - one was a warrior the other was a mage. Now, I'm normally not a MMO player, but I was immediately struck with the easy of accessibility that Neverwinter Saga presented. There are the standards for MMOs present, such as cool-downs and abilities that were beautifully rendered and smooth. What really stood out to me was the little tweaks to the formula: gone is the endless comparing of loot to decide if the tiniest of differences will give you one more damage per second (DPS). In Saga these numbers are still there, but there is also a simple summary under the two items that breaks down the differences in an easy to see and quickly decide format. Being at the Neverwinter Party also offered me the opportunity to talk with the CEO of Cryptic Studios to discuss all the features and direction that their game hoped bring. Again, I'm not a MMO player, but seriously, even after playing as the Warrior for nearly an hour I really just wanted to hop back in and re-roll as the Mage.

Dungeons and Dragons

I'll probably get some flack for this, but again, I'm not a huge TableTop gamer either. Still, the impact and influence that Dungeons and Dragons (D&D) has had on the RPG genre can not be denied. Here at the D&D and Neverwinter Party people had the chance to sit down with two of the creators of the D&D Tabletop game and discuss the next iteration of the game. The most stand-out feature of the next rule-set was when they told me that in a unique twist, players will have the chance to submit the rules THEY want in the game. This is exciting and daunting at the same time. Some of these fans have been playing for decades and truly invested in the stories, camaraderie that ensues and adaptive nature of a tabletop RPG. There are also those who are not as invested. It's an interesting experiment that is sure to shape the future iterations of D&D for better or worse.

R.A. Salvatore

Of course, as the creative writer and mastermind behind the lore of the Neverwinter series, R.A. Salvatore was present at the party. This offered the unique opportunity to meet one of the most well-known writers of the fantasy genre. I don't know how many other times the chance to sit down and chat with Salvatore for hours would present itself. As an avid reader, especially of the fantasy and sci-fi genre, this was a great moment.

As you can see, events such as the D&D and Neverwinter Party offer something not found on the PAX East Expo Hall floor. While this event was invite-only, they often keep a few extra spots for fans from the show floor. So remember, it's HIGHLY recommended that if you see something great on the show floor ask if they are having a party. I really enjoyed this party and the intimate atmosphere allowed me to really enjoy everything offered - something a more crowded and loud event would not be able to do. It was also a great place to meet new people and make friends. The people at D&D and Neverwinter have just made a constant attendee of their future parties and I can't wait for another one, hopefully next year at PAX East 2014.

RWBY from Rooster Teeth Interview: PAX East 2013

Probably best known for their work on the original machinima title Red vs. Blue, Rooster Teeth Productions has been creating content for over a decade now. With their headline title reaching the tenth season they have since created much more content such as their Podcast and other webseries. Their latest work though garnered a lot of attention for its unique style and action-packed fluid animations. RWBY – pronounced Ruby – is an Anime-inspired machinima from the creative mind of Monty Oum and team.

Full Article: http://fronttowardsgamer.com/2013/03/30/rwby-from-rooster-teeth-pax-east-2013/

Comic Station Issue #13 - March 27th 2013

This issue of Comic Station brings a lot of great New Releases, with one outshining the rest as our hands-down must-buy recommendation.

New Releases: The biggest KNOWN issue coming out today on Comic Station is Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy #1. We reviewed Guardians of the Galaxy #0.1 on Comic Station Issue #10, and are glad to report this first true book continues the good work setup in the precursor. A favorite of ours, Injustice: Gods Among Us #3 proves yet again that this series is probably one of the best Superhero books currently available – right up against the big names. Vertigo released an anthology, with nine mini-issues called Timewarp that features some great art and big names like Gail Simone. The real surprise came in the form of Image Comic’s new series, East of West #1. We at Comic Station can’t say enough good things about this book. If you haven’t read this, go get it now before your store sells out – and they will.

Review: Continuing our love of the merging video games and comics genres we take a look at Dragon Age: Until We Sleep #1 on this issue of Comic Station. Until We Sleep takes place after the events of Dragon Age II and features the return of Allistar. Chaz King, the author of our review, wrote

“If you are interested in the characters or the fiction of the Dragon Age universe, you should give a thought to picking up Dragon Age: Until We Sleep, if only to keep an eye on Varric.”

Recommendation: We at Comic Station loved East of West so much that Scott wanted to go into a more detail of why we recommend it hands-down as a must-buy.

Thank you and please leave comments here or on YouTube as we continue to evolve our coverage. For a listing of more New Releases we couldn’t get to, a list can be found below the video.

Full Article: http://fronttowardsgamer.com/2013/03/27/comic-station-issue-13-march-27th-2013/

Transistor: Interview with Greg Kasavin - PAX East 2013

Not many developers could announce a game two days before PAX East and become arguably the most talked about title, but that’s just happened with Supergiant Games’ Transistor. After their success with their first title it’s not It’s not surprising that the developer of Bastion would garner such attention after their.  After their announcement of Transistor the accompanying trailer showed off the uniquely Supergiant Games art-style and amazing music that made Bastion so popular.

The Transistor booth at PAX East 2013 first on the agenda for many attendees, often completely circling their booth within minutes of the doors being opened. It’s not hard to see why, as not only was Transistor announced, but there was the chance to be one of the first ever to experience the playable demo.

Full Article: http://fronttowardsgamer.com/2013/03/26/transistor-pax-east-2013/

State of Decay: Gameplay Interview - PAX East 2013

Since their first announcement at E3 in 2012 State of Decay from Undead Labs has managed to pique the interest of a community not satisfied with the current video game offerings for the zombie survival genre. Ears perked at the mention of a realistic sandbox zombie survival game. With everything mentioned and the promise of more to come the most head-turning announcement wasn’t the real-time building, realistic degradation of materials and social interactions, but that this impressive vision was coming to the Xbox Live Arcade.

For any developer, console or PC, the list of features in State of Decay would be daunting. Starting off with the barest of supplies – literally a branch to defend yourself – you’re set loose to survive. How to survive is completely up to you as you meet new characters and explore the world. Each new member might bring with them unique and useful attributes, as a doctor or mechanic, but they’re also a mouth to feed.

Full Article: http://fronttowardsgamer.com/2013/03/25/state-of-decay-pax-east-2013/